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"Enough L-4s sending and they'd interact in feedback," said Garcia. "Wouldn't need an amplifier. They'd
set up a howl that could be heard anywhere."
"Why the peri-box?" asked Sparrow. Then he said, "Of course: they have to get a clear strong signal
into us and the peri-box is the only road that isn't damped by a plasteel hull."
He shook his head. "Granting that you're telling the truth and that this is so, how can --"
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"Rig a substitute for the L-4s," said Garcia. "That's the weak spot in the system."
"That's what I was testing when Les jumped me," said Ramsey.
Bonnett scowled. "This could be a trick, Skipper."
Garcia said, "Can it, Les?"
"Dammit all!" shouted Bonnett. "Yesterday you were both telling me how suspicious --"
"We'll discuss it another time," said Sparrow. He turned to Garcia. "What do you think, Joe?"
"It sounds right, Skipper." Garcia held up a hand, ticked off items on his fingers. "It has the advantage of
simplicity: all they'd have to know is the plate frequency factor of a suitable tube and they could channel
all their efforts toward breaking down that one unit. If the actual signal originates with them and is merely
rebroadcast from our system, they'd have the essential elements of a sonoran system: pin-point accuracy
in locating us. And what would be harder to detect? Their broadcast would be a constant sound in the
ether; so every time we raised our peri-box, our board filters would automatically cut out that signal as
nondangerous and we wouldn't be listening at all on the wave length that would be likely to give us
away!"
Even Bonnett was nodding in agreement as Garcia finished.
Garcia looked at Ramsey. "Is that the way you had it figured?"
"Yes."
"I could probably figure out a substitute system to eliminate the L-4s," said Garcia, "but you're the
electronics expert. How?"
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"Schematic on shack workbench," said Ramsey.
"Les, check that," ordered Sparrow. "If it's true, it's one more item to confirm his story."
Bonnett went out the door.
Ramsey shut his eyes, tried to slide off the pillows and stretch out flat on the cot.
"Better not," said Sparrow. He held Ramsey upright. "Joe, steady him here a moment while I look at that
nose."
Garcia held Ramsey's shoulders.
Sparrow touched Ramsey's nose gently.
"Ouch!" Ramsey jerked back.
"Doesn't appear to be broken," said Sparrow. He reached out, put a thumb on Ramsey's left eyelid, held
up the lid while he flashed a hand light into the eye. "Maybe a slight concussion."
"How long was I out?" asked Ramsey.
"About an hour," said Sparrow. "You --"
Bonnett entered carrying a grease-stained sheet of note paper. He passed the paper to Garcia, who
removed one hand from Ramsey's shoulder to take the paper.
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"What do you say, Joe?" asked Sparrow.
Garcia studied the paper silently, nodded once, passed it to Sparrow. "A clever adaptation. Simple. It'll
work and it uses a tube with a different plate frequency."
"What does this mean?" asked Bonnett.
"It means you batted out, old chap," said Garcia. "In the vernacular, you goofed."
Bonnett's voice was dangerously low. "Is that so?"
"As a matter of honest fact, we've all goofed," said Garcia. "You were the overt instrument of our
dereliction."
Bonnett looked down at Ramsey. "If I made a mistake, I apologize." He glanced at Sparrow, who was
still studying Ramsey's schematic diagram. "But I reserve the right to my own opinion."
Sparrow straightened from beside Ramsey's bunk, looked at Garcia. "Keep him awake for a couple of
hours, Joe." He turned away. "Come along, Les. We've a slug to fill and some tube-jockeying. No time
to waste."
"Do you want me to do the electronics work?" asked Garcia.
"You stick with him," said Sparrow. He pushed in the doorway, stared speculatively at Ramsey, turned
and left, followed by Bonnett.
"Do you think they could break down those L-4s without piping through the peri-box?" asked Garcia.
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"In time," said Ramsey. "But they'd have to increase signal strength by several factors to get a return
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